The Troubles of Intergalactic Diplomacy
by Ludy Cress
Summary: B5 DBZ crossover, major AU. Just as all the ambassadors have arrived and settled on the Babylon peace station, Commander Sinclair gets an urgent call from the Earth's president, requesting him to prepare for a final, unexpected ambassador.
1. Chapter 1

The Troubles of Intergalactic Diplomacy

* * *

Author's note: This crossover is a little strange, but if you like sci-fi and are a Gohan fan, you might like it, regardless of whether you've seen or even heard of Babylon 5.

For those of you who are familiar with B5, Videl is taking the role of Susan Ivanova, and Sharpener and Erasa also have corresponding roles which you will be able to decipher based on the clever subtleness…ahem…of their last names.

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim any sort of ownership over Babylon 5 or DBZ.

* * *

"It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari war, and six years after the defeat of Frieza by the Saiyans. The Babylon project was a dream given form – its goal: to prevent war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port-of-call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations.

The year is 2258.

The name of the place is Babylon 5."

* * *

"Satan, observation deck report."

"Everything is clear, Commander," came the response.

Jeffrey Sinclair nodded. Leaning on the railing, he thought of the past month's struggles and was reminded of how the station would be nothing without such an excellent crew. Videl Satan – ace pilot, superb fighter, and overall the most realistic thinker of the crowd – could always be counted on in emergencies, and Sharpener Garibaldi, the security coordinator, was top-notch when it came to restoring order from chaos.

Chaos. Now _that_ was something he couldn't stand. Chaos was the harbinger of war and destruction, the feeling that drove sentient beings to act like wild animals. The past month, in fact, had been close to chaotic, and had it not been for these two key members of the crew, Babylon 5 would have faced the same fate as the previous four stations – blown up or lost forever.

Currently though, everything was running smoothly. In terms of the station itself, the arrival of the Psy Corps commercial telepath Erasa Winters was helping to ensure order among the business transactions taking place. And, on an intergalactic level, the four ambassadors from the_willing_ dominant republics – the Centauri, the Narn, the Minbari, and the Vorlon – had arrived and delegations on peace were scheduled to begin.

"Well, I'm retiring for the night then," he mentioned to the lieutenant commander before heading to the doorway. "You should do the same."

"Yeah, yeah," she replied with a wry smile. "Sooner or later I will. Since it's the first day of everything finally in place, though, I promised Garibaldi that I'd accompany him to the ambassadorial district to personally see that Ambassador Kosh was settled in."

"Great idea," Sinclair raised his eyebrows. "I'll see you in the morning then."

As he left, Sharpener Garibaldi entered.

"Evening, Videl. All set?"

She straightened her uniform and followed him back out the door again.

"Absolutely."

* * *

They pulled on the oxy-masks before entering the thick atmosphere of Ambassador Kosh's quarters.

"Ambassador Kosh," Videl bowed to the Vorlon hidden by the immense suit. "Under today's improved circumstances, we would like to finally welcome you to Babylon 5."

The returned nod was slow and the voice gravelly.

"Many thanks."

"Please let us remind you, Ambassador," Sharpener continued. "If there is anything else you need, or any changes you want made during your term here, don't hesitate to notify us. Your comfort and safety are our primary concerns."

"Yes. Of course," the ambassador nodded again. "That will be all."

The two humans bowed once again and exited his chamber, the doorway sliding shut behind them.

"Well that was quick," Sharpener muttered.

Videl shrugged her shoulders, carefully eying the Minbari residency as they passed it.

The rest of the walk was silent, until they came to the end of the ambassadorial sector. There they parted ways and headed back to their own quarters.

Plopping down on her bed, Videl's mind flitted on the puzzling topic of the Minbari Federation and the strange narrative Sinclair had once told her:

Sinclair had led the Earth forces into the final battle of the Earth-Minbari war, a battle in which his crew had been obliterated by the Minbari fleet, and Sinclair had lost control of his fighter. He had blacked out, and when he awoke again, he was back on Earth, the day after the battle. He had been told that on the eve of their victory, the Minbari had shockingly surrendered.

_The Minbari are definitely a strange lot_, she thought to herself before drifting off to sleep. _It's nice that Delenn and I have grown to become friends though. _

* * *

The last of the assembly was filtering into the chamber as Videl entered with them. She received a nod from Commander Sinclair as she took her seat, and glanced up slightly as the Centauri ambassador's voice cut above the other chatter in the room.

"Just like a Narn!_Still _not here!" his r's rolled with his Scottish-like brogue, and his hair quivered slightly. "Why, in the glorious past days of the Centauri republic, lateness was an inexcusable offe –"

He was cut off as the Narn ambassador G'Kar stalked into the room.

Sinclair took this as his cue to commence the meeting and stood up.

"Thank you all for coming. I regret to say that Ambassador Kosh has declined his invitation to participate in today's delegation, but I hope that will not deter us from making any progress."

Several heads nodded in assent.

"Now the first order of business concerns quarantined trade from the Markab and the Pak'ma'ra."

Sinclair glanced to the side as the door opened, surprised to see Garibaldi enter.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But I need to pull Commander Sinclair away for a moment. The president is on the line, and he says it's urgent."

Sinclair raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be right there," he said. "Ambassador Delenn, would you be so kind as to explain the trade situation to the delegation and begin a discussion on it?"

"Certainly," the Minbari replied, and stood up. Despite her small frame, she held herself with authority.

Videl's eyes followed the commander as he left the room, vaguely wondering what the situation was, before turning her attention back to the delegation.

* * *

"So here's the situation," Sinclair paced in his office later that afternoon while Videl and Sharpener waited to hear why the Earth Alliance president had called so urgently.

"Apparently the_Saiyans_ contacted the Alliance."

Videl and Sharpener exchanged a surprised, slightly fearful glance.

"They wish to send an ambassador to Babylon 5 – he will arrive in three days time. This is the job allotment: Sharpener - I did not get the impression that this request was meant as a threat, so it will be your job to alert the community of his arrival, but not alarm them. Videl, I would like as much information on Saiyans as possible, history and otherwise, to be gathered. We certainly wouldn't want to offend our guest by accident. I will take care of securing his quarters in the ambassadorial sector, as well as contacting the Saiyan government to confirm and secure everything."

"I always get the hardest jobs," Sharpener grumbled, crossing his arms.

"You are both dismissed."

They nodded and headed out the door.

* * *

End Note: Again, for those unfamiliar with B5, I would suggest googling images of the different characters or races mentioned. You may find it rather…amusing. (If you do this though, please keep in mind that I'm using the season one appearance of Delenn.)


	2. Chapter 2

The Troubles of Intergalactic Diplomacy

* * *

A/N: The second chapter – oh geez, a back story now?

Disclaimer: Ahem. I wish.

* * *

Videl spent the earlier part of the evening researching the Saiyans. She had only encountered them once before and had been a frightening experience:

Six years ago, before she joined Earth Force, and when she was still working in a med-lab on Earth, Frieza noticed the small, but beautiful planet and had landed on it, intending to wipe out all life and sell it on the intergalactic real estate market. It was the second time the humans' very existence had been threatened. This time, however, it wasn't the entire Minbari warrior caste using their superior technology to destroy them; instead it was a single, unarmed alien with what seemed to be incredible powers.

She thought that they were doomed. The city around her was crumbling and burning, and the citizens of it were all either, screaming, injured, or dead. All the while, Frieza floated above the ruin, laughing and shooting the occasional fireball out of his hand. Videl remembered being terrified, but at the same time awestruck that he could fly and shoot what looked like fireballs from his hands.

Then suddenly, one of the blazes was heading straight in her direction. She couldn't tear her eyes away, or even bring herself to scream as death came rushing towards her. But it never hit.

A Saiyan had jumped in front and blocked the ball from hitting. She barely managed to catch a glimpse of him before he leapt into the air and flew straight at Frieza, commencing a fistfight that was equivalent, if not superior to the entire Minbari fleet's technological warfare. She was surprised, though, by how human he looked. The only difference really was the tail.

She glanced off to the side and her eyes bulged as she saw two more Saiyans lifting fallen buildings to free trapped humans.

The fight went on for several hours, until it became known to an injured Frieza that he was about to lose the battle. In an act of desperation, he was somehow able to flee the planet. The Saiyan, who was likewise injured badly, fell to the ground, and the other two Saiyans appeared at his side to help him up. Several humans rushed to him as well, many of them in tears, wanting to express their gratitude for his saving the human race and the planet Earth, and see what they could do to help – Videl was among them.

When they were able to prop him up, Videl could clearly see that in addition to the blood, bruises and cracked armor, he had also managed to receive a broken right leg, and an injury on his left arm that was bleeding rather profusely. The only part of him that seemed uninjured, in fact, was his hair, which had somehow managed to stay tied back in a messy ponytail.

The Saiyans holding up their injured companion sent menacing glares at the crowd, and the taller, bald one spoke, causing the crowd to take several steps back.

"Anyone who comes near will be killed. Now, make room so we can get the hell off this planet." His voice was rough and slightly accented.

Several of the humans looked puzzled. The Saiyans had just helped them – why were they now being threatened?

"Are you insane?" Videl stepped forward. After having seen what these guys could do, she knew she was putting herself at risk, but she felt it was necessary. "If he doesn't get medical treatment, he may not survive the trip back to your planet!"

"Who's going to heal him – you?" he scoffed.

"I work in a med-lab," she defended. "I'm not a doctor, but I can do the basic stuff. It would be enough to ensure that he returns to your planet safely, and it might quicken the healing process once he gets some better treatment!"

"We have no interest in your inferior medicine. Now, move away."

Videl opened her mouth to argue, but her judgment got the better of her and she took a step back.

The other Saiyan who was still in good health said something quickly in their native language to the taller one, who argued back for a moment, but then seemed to concede to what his partner said.

The partner this time, a Saiyan with long, spiky hair, turned to Videl and spoke. His English was worse that the tall one's.

"Our thought has changed. We accept the help."

Videl and the other humans still crowded around sighed with relief. She decapsulated a first aid kit she had grabbed out of desperation when Frieza had arrived in their city, and approached the Saiyans. The injured one had been lowered to the ground – the long-haired one propped him up.

She felt her stomach jump as she knelt down next to him. He was covered in dirt and blood – she hoped that not all of it was his own – and his eyed were closed and his breathing strained from the pain. She had never been in such close proximity to an alien, let alone one that could kill her by probably just thinking it – and even if he was too injured to do so, the other two certainly could.

She looked to the long-haired one for confirmation. Despite his battle-hardened face, she could detect an amount of worry through his eyes.

"Please, he is my brother's son."

She nodded, then with a pounding heart, pulled out a syringe that contained a numbing agent – she would have to stitch up the wound on his arm. After seeing him fight, she had her doubts as to whether he would even be able to feel the pain of the stitches without it being numbed, or whether the tremendous amount of pain he was already experiencing would cover it up, but it never hurt to take precautions.

She quickly tested the syringe, then stuck it in near the wound. She was slightly surprised to hear a sharp intake of breath from him, indicating that he did indeed feel the needle. She removed it and began to prepare the materials for stitching while the numbing set in.

Under the careful surveillance of the two unwounded Saiyans, she began to put in the stitches. As she was finishing the process, she paused as the injured one managed to laboriously speak, but continued when she realized it wasn't in English.

"Girl."

She looked up rather nervously as the tall, bald one spoke to her.

"He said that he wishes to thank you, though he's in too much pain to remember how to say so in your language."

"Tell him," she responded, quite relieved, "that I'm glad I could help out."

After it had been translated, she noticed the injured one's lips curve slightly upward in a pained, but honest smile.

* * *

The next morning, Videl reported her findings in a briefing with Commander Sinclair and Sharpener, though she chose to omit her personal experience with the race.

"So after the Saiyans intercepted Frieza's attack on Earth, Frieza fled to regain his health, then immediately went to Vegetasei to get his revenge," She explained. "He murdered half the population before anyone was able to rise up against him. There are rumors that say in order to destroy Frieza, one of them achieved a legendary transformation. However, like most of their affairs, they've kept very quiet about this. All attempts from Earth to thank them for saving our race were also ignored.

"As for information on their abilities and such, they don't interact much with us or other aliens, so the full extent is unknown. What _is_ known, however, is that even when entirely unarmed, they can fly, shoot fire-ball like things out of their hands which will create mile-wide craters, and they can move objects as large as, and as heavy as high rise office buildings. So yes. They're dangerous."

She gave a sarcastic smile to the gaping men.

"As far as society goes, they have a class system ruled by a monarchy. The third class holds most of the working and labor positions, and the elite class, the highest class, consists entirely of warriors. Promotion or degradation between ranks is not unheard of, but extremely rare. Also, every member of the society, regardless of class or gender, is taught to fight."

Sinclair rubbed his temples.

"I knew they were considered dangerous," he said. "But _wow_. How about the current ambassadors' reactions to this, Garibaldi?"

"Well, I'm not sure they know the details that we've just heard," he began. "But what I got wasn't entirely positive. Kosh was silent – I never can tell what he's thinking with that suit on, but I seemed to feel like I usually got _some_ sort of response. G'Kar seemed to accept it, but he was a bit…twitchy…about it. Londo's reaction was the severest though. The minute I said 'Saiyan," he asked his assistant Vir to set up a digital recorder so that he could log his will. He asked me if I had a death wish for everyone on this station, but I chose to remain silent on the issue, sir.

"Delenn was the only one who seemed to take it well. She was very pensive on the issue, but since the Minbari are one of the few races who have actually established some commercial ties with the Saiyans, she offered to gather some information. It should be ready by this afternoon."

"Excellent," Sinclair nodded. "I'll call you both back when I receive it. For now you may resume your stations."

They saluted, then departed the office.

* * *

"From my experience, the Saiyans," Delenn concluded her briefing later that afternoon. "Are arrogant and brutal. There is no race they consider equal to their own. However, like the Minbari, they place high value on honor, both personal and national. If not provoked, they will keep to themselves and not bother with other races. Despite their predisposition for fighting, they are not a stupid people, and are in fact very thorough and cunning thinkers. It is my personal belief that they would not send an ambassador here without a reason."

Sinclair, Satan, and Garibaldi nodded, preparing their minds for the tasks required for the following day, and the arrival of the ambassador the day after that.

* * *

End note: Well, well, well. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It's the big day! Lawl. And, to my sole reviewer: "Bah, Saiyans don't need aides!" Hehe.

Disclaimer: I would have to pay lots of money that I don't have if I claimed this was mine.

* * *

"Commander, we have an incoming ship," Videl called from the observation deck on the arrival date. "Yes, it's Saiyan alright – and an incredible piece of work at that. All weapons are disengaged, and a smaller ship has just disembarked. Estimated time of arrival is one hour and thirty minutes. The larger ship is preparing to jump back."

"So far so smooth. Let's assemble the crew and head down to meet our guest."

* * *

The door of the docking bay hissed open, and the Saiyan ambassador strode through to meet Commander Sinclair, Videl Satan, and Sharpener Garibaldi.

"Welcome to Babylon 5, Ambassador," Sinclair began, trying to not lose confidence with such an intimidating figure in front of him. "Your luggage will be brought to your quarters. I'm Commander Jeffrey Sinclair, and this is my lieutenant commander Videl Satan, and my Chief of Security Sharpener Garibaldi."

"Very good," the Saiyan replied, nodding to each of them. "My name is Gohan Son. I hope the short notice has not inconvenienced you."

Videl found it hard not to stare at him as he spoke to the commander. He was very tall, about the same height as Sharpener, and he wore broad-shouldered armor similar to what she remember the Saiyans wearing when they defended the Earth. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, about the same age as herself, and his hair was cropped short, but still retained the characteristic wildness she remembered two of the Saiyans on Earth had. He did not smile, but his expression was calm, not harsh like she expected.

"Not at all," the commander replied. "Now, if you'll come with us, we thought we'd begin by giving you a tour of the station, and then introducing you to your fellow ambassadors before showing you to your quarters."

"Absolutely."

Sinclair nodded then turned on his heel, Ambassador Son falling to place behind him, with Videl and Sharpener taking up the rear. She tried not to stare at the tail that had just unwrapped itself from around his waist. Glancing to the side, she noticed that Sharpener was staring as well.

"We're currently in the Yellow Sector," Sinclair explained. "If you need to transport cargo or people to and from specified locations in the galaxy, you can do so here. We have regular transports from here to Earth, Centauri Prime, and the Narn home world. Shipping to Vegetasei or Minbar will have to be arranged in advance."

They passed through a force field, which scanned them for illegal substances and technologies on their persons, none of which were found on any of them. Several humans and aliens in their vicinity swerved to avoid Commander Sinclair, and gaped when they saw the Saiyan following behind him.

"I thought you alerted them," Videl hissed at Sharpener.

"I did," he whispered back. "But that doesn't mean they liked the idea of – "

He stopped suddenly as they noticed the ambassador's head turn slightly to the side, as if he'd heard them. When the Saiyan had resumed looking straight ahead, they sent a quick, nervous glance at one another.

"This is the Blue Sector," Sinclair continued. "On this level we have customs for incoming beings, the next level up is the quarters for the Earthforce personnel, so if you need to find any of us during non-working hours, that's the best place to look, and the level above that is the operations area, where this station is essentially run from. During out working hours, that would be a more likely place to find us, should you need anything. We will be on call 24/7."

They exited the Blue Sector and began a walk down a lengthy hallway.

"Two levels above this is the Green Sector," Sinclair said. "The ambassadorial residencies. The diplomatic meetings, as well as your quarters will be located there."

Coming to the end of the hall, they entered the Red Sector.

"One level above this, we have accommodations for beings with different atmospheric and gravitational needs," Sinclair explained. "But on this level is the Zocalo, where all of the trade and commerce takes place. Large transactions will be monitored by our commercial telepath, Ms. Erasa Winters. There are also dining and entertainment facilities, both on this level and on the second level up."

Ambassador Son nodded, then was led to a lift.

Videl stepped on after him, and awkwardly bore the thirty second ride up next to him.

Exiting the lift, they walked a ways down another hall leading back to the Green Sector, coming to a set of doors blocked by security. Upon seeing Sinclair, the officers moved to the side and let them through.

The other ambassadors had gathered, as well as the representatives from the League of Non-aligned Worlds. Their chatter immediately died down the moment the group entered, and Sinclair motioned for Videl and Sharpener to sit.

"Delegates, I would like to introduce you to the final ambassador," Sinclair began. "This is Gohan Son, representing the Saiyans."

Ambassador Son bowed slightly.

"I am honored to be here."

"Allow me to introduce your fellow ambassadors," Sinclair continued. "Ambassador Kosh of the Vorlon Empire -"

Kosh nodded.

"-Ambassador G'Kar of the Narn Regime -"

"It's a pleasure," G'Kar said in his most flattering tone. "I'm sure our two great races will make astounding progress together."

"Look who's _already_ trying to win the Saiyans' favor," Sharpener said under his breath, rolling his eyes, but stopped suddenly when he noticed the Saiyan's quick glance in his direction.

"-Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic -"

"Yes, yes," Londo twitched. "I'm delighted."

"-and Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari Federation."

She nodded, then sent him a curious glance.

"If I may ask a question, Ambassador?"

"Of course."

"I could not help but notice the insignia on your breast. It is the seal of the Elite class, is it not?"

This caused many heads to glance around the room, including an exchange of glances between Commander Sinclair, Videl, and Sharpener.

"It is," he replied calmly, ignoring the quiet commotion the detail had aroused – they were all well aware that the Saiyan Elite consisted of the planet's top warriors.

"What, then," Londo spoke up. "Is the Saiyan government implying by sending a warrior to a peace station?"

The whispering ceased at the accusation, and a cold fear settled over the room as the Saiyan ambassador's eyebrows narrowed.

"It seems you are insinuating that I am not fit to hold this position," he chose his reply carefully – Videl could see that he was making an effort to stay calm, and compared to Londo and G'Kar's regular reactions to each others' comments, he was doing a fine job.

"Allow me to remind you, Ambassador," the Saiyan continued. "That I am not the only warrior in this room. You yourself were in your planet's military at one point, were you not? Commander Sinclair, the one in _charge_ of this station, certainly was. Moreover, I would not be Saiyan if I was not a warrior."

Videl noticed G'Kar applaud softly and send a quick smirk at the Centauri.

"Let's not let this escalate into anything now," Commander Sinclair stood up. "Ambassador Son, perhaps we should show you to your quarters and leave Ambassador Mollari to make accusations about other members of the delegation."

With his eyes still narrowed, the Saiyan turned and strode out of the room with the commander, Videl and Sharpener following behind. Once out, the commander resumed the lead.

"I'm sorry about their behavior," Sinclair apologized. "How did you know, though, that Londo and I had served in our planets' militaries? I believed that the Saiyans were not interested in the affairs of other systems."

The Saiyan frowned.

"Commander, I'm embarrassed that you had such low expectations of me. Did you really think I would come here unprepared?"

The commander's jaw snapped shut at the rhetorical question, and the rest of the walk continued in silence.

* * *

End note: Chapters will begin to slow down soon, because I'm nearing the end of everything I'd written before making my account. If you get bored of waiting, feel free to browse my other stories. Also, have a look at my friend S.T.D.'s writing – she hasn't updated in a while, but maybe some reviews will motivate her. (Go to my profile and click on my favorite author.)

Reviews motivate me too.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: New chapter, and also a new story if you're interested.

Disclaimer: In Valen's name!

* * *

"There's no question about it," Sharpener Garibaldi said through a mouthful of food later that evening in a small Zocalo restaurant. "That Saiyan ambassador is pretty damn scary."

He turned to Erasa, "You should scan his mind. You'll see what I mean."

Erasa Winters glared at him.

"It's illegal to scan minds with out permission or court order. You're the chief of security – you know that."

She took a sip of her drink.

"Besides, I wouldn't want to anyway. I'm too scared to think about what I'd find in a Saiyan's mind."

"With him, probably just a lot of brains," Videl leaned back in her chair. "He seemed sane enough, even though he was a little intense."

"A little?" Sharpener raised an eyebrow. "That guy meant business, Videl. He's the real deal – a Saiyan _elite_."

"Are you serious?" Erasa gaped.

"Yeah," Sharpener answered. "That's apparently what that symbol on his armor means."

"Ambassador Delenn put him on the spot about it in front of the entire delegation," Videl explained. "He got out of it pretty well though. She wasn't wrong about the Saiyans being quick thinkers."

"And quick listeners or something too," Sharpened speculated. "He seemed to hear everything we said, no matter how quietly."

Videl nodded. _Come to think of it, that __was__ pretty strange._

Just then, the comlinks on both Videl's and Sharpener's hands beeped.

"It's the commander," Videl mentioned, glancing at the back of her hand.

Sharpener shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's get going then. See you around, Erasa."

* * *

When Videl entered Sinclair's office with Sharpener, the first thing she noticed was the additional wrinkles on his brow.

"A little stressed out, are we sir?" she asked tentatively, causing him to look up miserably.

"Thanks for coming; I really just needed to vent a bit. Do you remember the comment the Saiyan ambassador made about how he was not unprepared?"

They nodded.

"Yes, well I've never personally felt more unprepared in my life, except for when I fought the Battle of the Line against the Minbari."

"Why? What happened?" Sharpener raised an eyebrow.

"I just received a call from Ambassador Son concerning the inadequate supply of food in his room," he stated. Noticing the concerned looks on his companions' faces, he continued, "No, no, he wasn't angry – God knows I'd never want to see him angry – he said he was just bringing a point to my attention. Apparently Saiyans eat roughly twenty times the amount of food that a human can consume."

Both Sharpener's and Videl's jaws dropped.

"That's…a _lot_ of food," Sharpener breathed.

"Yes, I know," Sinclair responded. "The ambassador apologized for inconveniencing us with the detail, and said he understood we did not have the time or means to have possibly realized this before he arrived. He also tried to explain to me the biology behind the Saiyan eating habits, but being no scientist, I urged him to let me set up an appointment with Dr. Franklin for him to explain that, and other details to him so that we are not so unprepared in the future."

"And?" Videl raised an eyebrow.

"And he surprisingly agreed," Sinclair concluded with a slightly shocked smile. "Satan, Since you've worked in a medlab before, I'd like you to accompany him to this appointment. Dr. Franklin is an expert physician, but he tends to be more sympathetic towards the needs and wants of his patients than towards the needs of the station. If asked, he may retain valuable information about the Saiyans from us – I'd like to make sure there's nothing we miss."

Videl nodded.

* * *

A few days later, Videl sat in the medlab waiting room anticipating the arrival of the ambassador. She was feeling rather nervous about how he would react to her accompanying him to the appointment, so she was trying to concentrate on what she was going to tell him.

The door hissed open, and the tall figure of the Saiyan gracefully stepped into the room. Videl felt the blood start to rush to her face, so she began to focus on deep breathing.

He apparently noticed her, and took a seat across from her.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Commander," he greeted. "You have an appointment as well?"

"Ambassador Son," she nodded back, looking up. "I'm actually here for _your_ appointment."

He was silent for a moment, but his facial expression did not change. Not being able to gauge his reaction, however, made her slightly more nervous.

"Would you care to explain why?"

She could tell that 'no' would definitely be an unacceptable answer to his question.

"Commander Sinclair felt that we would be able to accommodate you more quickly if the results of your tests were brought straight to him directly following the examination."

His eyes narrowed almost unnoticeably – he didn't buy it. Videl felt her heartbeat accelerate.

"Very well. You may accompany me."

Videl felt her jaw drop, so she quickly closed it. She had not expected such an answer after the terrifying silence that followed her explanation. She nodded in relief.

To her puzzlement, he turned and looked expectantly at the medlab door. Had he heard something? She hadn't heard anything!

A couple seconds later, though, the door hissed open and Dr. Franklin stepped through.

"A-ambassador Son?"

The Saiyan stood and approached the doctor, Videl following.

"Dr. Franklin," he greeted with a nod.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" the doctor gave a slightly nervous smile before leading them into the medlab.

"I'll need you to change into this, Ambassador," Dr. Franklin stated, pulling out a patient's gown and pointing towards a changing room to his left.

The Saiyan eyed it for a moment, obviously not entirely pleased with the idea, but took the gown anyhow. While he was in the changing room, Dr. Franklin handed Videl a clipboard.

"You used to work in a medlab; I'm sure you know what to do with this."

Moments later, the Saiyan emerged from the changing room, posture as straight as ever, wearing nothing but the thin gown.

"Right this way then," the doctor motioned, leading them into a room with a small bed-like platform in the center. "If you could lie down over there please…"

He obeyed and reclined onto his back.

"This is an anatomy scanner," the doctor said as he pulled out a small tool. "I'll just need to run it over you to get a clear image of everything that's going on inside your body, including the make-ups of bodily fluids, as well as metabolic rates. It will just take a second."

He turned the device on, then holding it a few inches over the ambassador's body, scanned it in its entirety.

"Thank you very much, Ambassador," he said, putting the device away. "The results of the test will be put on two memory chips – one for myself, and the other for Lieutenant Commander Satan to take with her. Now, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to ask a few questions about Saiyan biology…"

"Absolutely," he replied, still on the platform, though now seated.

"So," the doctor began rather awkwardly. "I understand that your race consumes a bit more food than ours…"

Videl was slightly taken aback when he smirked slightly at the understatement.

"It's because our metabolic rate is much higher that that of a human – it requires more energy to function. I'm sure you'll notice that when you look at the results of the scan."

"Anything else I should look for?" Dr. Franklin noted down the detail.

"Yes, actually. You would probably be interested to notice the higher density of the cells that make up the skin, muscles, and bones, and that our internal organs are on average slightly larger. A couple details that may be difficult to notice through the scan would be that our healing rates are much quicker, and our senses – especially hearing – are generally more acute than yours as well."

_Well that explains a lot,_ Videl thought to herself. _I guess Sharpener and I may have well been talking directly to him._

"And your tails?" the doctor asked. "Do they serve a function?"

He paused a moment before answering.

"No. There is no purpose; they are just a product of evolution."

"Did you have any questions in need of answering, Videl?" the doctor mentioned, neglecting to use her title.

"Yes," she answered immediately. "Ambassador Son, I was on Earth when the Saiyans saved us from Frieza - "

Had she been paying less attention to how to phrase her question, she would have noticed his eyes widen a bit, and his body stiffen slightly.

" – and I witnessed them shooting _fireballs_ from their _hands_, and flying. Could you possibly provide an explanation for this?"

"I'm sure that by _fireballs_," he chuckled slightly, to the surprise of both her and the doctor, "you mean _ki blasts_. But yes, I can explain it.

"In addition to the energy required to sustain life and keep one's organs functioning, all living beings have another kind of energy within them. In the Saiyan language, this energy is called 'ki.' Saiyans have a larger store of ki than most other races, and most other races don't know how to use this energy anyway – humans included."

"How do you know this about other beings when they don't even know it about themselves?" Dr. Franklin looked puzzled.

"Because knowing how to use our ki also gives us the ability of being able to sense it in other beings," he replied. "For example, if I was relaxing in my quarters and someone was walking through the hall, I would know because I would sense their energy moving past me at a certain distance. Chances are I'd hear them too, but that's beside the point. Certain beings also have larger ki stores than others. Another example – I can sense that Lieutenant Commander Satan has more ki than you, Dr. Franklin."

Both the doctor and Videl looked back and forth between themselves and the Saiyan, who smirked yet again, apparently amused by the reaction he had caused.

"Ki can also manifest itself differently in each being," he continued. "So depending on how large the ki is, or whether I can recognize it as one that I've previously encountered, I can track a person as far away as on the other side of a planet. Interplanetary tracking is a bit more difficult."

Videl and the doctor were gaping.

"So, it's this ki that we are shooting out of our hands for ki blasts. We can control it well enough to bring it outside of us."

He held out the palm of his hand and a soft light began to glow just above it, gradually becoming more intense. The doctor and lieutenant commander inched nervously forward to get a closer look. When he closed his palm, it disappeared.

"So if we direct the ki underneath us instead of to our hands, then it lifts us above the ground in flight. Anything else?"

"No, I believe that's it," Dr. Franklin stated, a bit dumbfounded. "You are free to change back into what you wore here. Lieutenant Commander, let me get you your copy of the scan."

Minutes later, Dr. Franklin escorted both of them back to the waiting room.

"Ambassador, thank you for coming," he bowed his head slightly.

"My pleasure," he nodded back. "Good day, Doctor."

He left the medlab and began his trek through the halls. Videl watched him stride for a moment, then set off after him.

"Ambassador," she called, catching his attention. He stopped walking and turned to peer down at her considerably shorter stature. Her stomach jumped slightly.

"Ambassador Son," she addressed him, ignoring her nervousness and catching up to where he was standing. "If you don't mind, I actually had another question about this 'ki' that you mentioned."

"Yes?"

He proceeded to walk again, now with Videl at his side.

"Well, I was wondering…is it possible for one to increase the amount of ki in them, or is it just a set amount that one is born with?"

"It can be increased."

She'd been hoping that would be the answer.

"And how does one go about increasing it?"

"There are a number of ways," he replied nonchalantly. "Meditation helps immensely – also martial arts training and sparring."

They turned into the ambassadorial sector.

"Ambassador," Videl inquired. "Do you mind of I ask you a personal question?"

"You may ask, but I won't guarantee you an answer."

She nodded, accepting the terms.

"How much ki do you have, in comparison with the average elite class Saiyan?"

He turned away from her to punch his security code into the door to his quarters.

"Right now, I'd say considerably less."

Had he been facing her, she'd have seen the smirk on his lips. I wasn't _really_ a lie anyway – right now with his ki suppressed, it _was_ much lower!

"Is it because there's no one for you to spar with here - "

"Lieutenant Commander" he interrupted, turning around in his doorway to prevent her from following him in. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Her face instantly turned red as she realized she'd followed him all the way back to his quarters.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," she stared at the floor, avoiding his gaze, then turning on her heel, she walked quickly off in the direction of the blue sector.

* * *

End Note: Hmm. Kinda longish chappie.


End file.
